Citizens' Daily Lobby

Last week the Sierra Club alerted us to an attempt by SWEPCO to ram through legislation that will make it easier for the company to get permits for coal-fired power plants, including the Turk plant in Hempstead County.     HB1895 was introduced on March 4, 2011, and it will be taken up by the House Insurance and Commerce Committee tomorrow morning.  

This bill would amend the current law requiring all utilities to obtain a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need through the Public Service Commission to allow utilities  to get an exemption from the requirement by selling their generated power on the wholesale market.   It’s a thinly veiled attempt to circumvent recent court rulings against the Turk plant.  As such, the bill is bad enough that even our usually hedging and reticent Gov. Beebe has come out against it.

Now is the time to get involved by writing or calling the members of the House Insurance and Commerce Committee and voicing your objections.   Help is also needed in getting discussion of the bill delayed until more interested citizens and other parties can participate.    The Committee will meet tomorrow at 10:00am at the Capitol, room 149.  The Sierra Club will have representatives on site to take signatures requesting the discussion of the bill be delayed.  Please come out and show a strong public opposition to this corporate-shill of a bill.